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Does Visual Aesthetics of the Workplace Matter? Analyzing the Assessment of Visual Aesthetics as Antecedent of Affective Commitment and Job Crafting

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 October 2019

Carolina González-Suhr*
Affiliation:
Universidad de La Frontera (Chile)
Sergio Salgado*
Affiliation:
Universidad de La Frontera (Chile)
Herman Elgueta
Affiliation:
Universidad de Magallanes (Chile)
Carlos-María Alcover
Affiliation:
Universidad Rey Juan Carlos (Spain)
*
*Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Carolina González-Suhr or Sergio Salgado. Universidad de La Frontera. Departamento de Administración y Economía. Temuco (Chile). E-mail: carolina.gonzalez@ufrontera.cl; sergio.salgado@ufrontera.cl
*Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Carolina González-Suhr or Sergio Salgado. Universidad de La Frontera. Departamento de Administración y Economía. Temuco (Chile). E-mail: carolina.gonzalez@ufrontera.cl; sergio.salgado@ufrontera.cl

Abstract

In this work, two objectives were addressed. First, the visual aesthetics assessment of the workplace was explored for the first time as a potential antecedent of the proactive behaviors of job crafting. Second, the potential mediating role of the affective organizational commitment in this relationship was analyzed. To address these purposes, a field study was conducted with a sample of 428 workers. Following a set of hypotheses, the results of the measurement model, χ2 (df) = 494.288 (215); CFI = .920; TLI = .906; RMSEA = .066, showed that the visual aesthetics assessment of the workplace was significantly correlated with three of the four dimensions of job crafting (r = .19 with ISO-JR, r = .15 with IC-JD and; r = .17 with IST-JR; p < .001) and with affective organizational commitment (r = .27, p < .001). In addition, through a structural equation model, χ2(df) = 494.895 (219); CFI = .921; TLI = .909; RMSEA = .065, positive and significant indirect effects were found from the visual aesthetic assessment of the workplace to the same three dimensions of job crafting, all through the affective organizational commitment: .17 with ISO-JR, .25 with IC-JD and, .23 with IST-JR; 95% CI [.097, .276], [.161, .361] and [.161, .361], respectively. The results obtained provide useful evidence for researchers and managers about the value of providing an aesthetically satisfactory workplace, which would enhance the affective commitment of employees and, consequently, positively affect the proactive behaviors of job crafting.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Universidad Complutense de Madrid and Colegio Oficial de Psicólogos de Madrid 2019 

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Footnotes

This research has been partially funded by Universidad de La Frontera, Project DI15–0056; and by Convenio de Desempeño Regional UNETE, Universidad de la Frontera, FRO 1301, Project UNT15–0001.

How to cite this article:

González-Suhr, C., Salgado, S., Elgueta, H., & Alcover, C. M. (2019). Does visual aesthetics of the workplace matter? Analyzing the assessment of visual aesthetics as antecedent of affective commitment and job crafting. The Spanish Journal of Psychology, 22. e38. Doi:10.1017/sjp.2019.37

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